29 octobre 1924
22 novembre 2011
Mitterrand, Danielle (1924-2011)
Itinéraire d’une militante, tiers-mondiste et altermondialiste, épouse de François Mitterrand
Les racines de la famille Gouze-Lavigne plongent dans le terroir bourguignon de Cluny, tant dans la viticulture, avec la famille de sa grand-mère Jeanne Lavigne, que dans l’artisanat et le commerce de parapluies avec son grand-père, Antoine Gouze.
Danielle Gouze doit sa naissance à Verdun (Meuse) le 29 octobre 1924 aux hasards des affectations de ses parents, son père directeur de collège, sa mère, Renée Flachot, institutrice. Cadette d’une fratrie de trois enfants, elle est de dix ans plus jeune que sa sœur Madeleine, plus connue sous son nom de productrice de films, Christine Gouze-Rénal (1914-2002), et de douze ans de son frère Roger (1912-2005).
Son enfance est marquée par les aléas de la carrière professionnelle de son père, franc-maçon, militant SFIO, suspendu sans salaire par le ministère de l’Instruction publique pour avoir refusé de livrer la liste des enfants juifs inscrits dans son établissement. La famille quitte alors Villefranche et se réfugie dans la maison familiale à Cluny où Antoine Gouze n’a d’autres moyens de subsistance que ses cours particuliers et la location de chambre pour les étudiants de l’École des Arts et métiers. À la suite de l’engagement de ses parents accueillant des résistants, dont les plus célèbres sont Henri Frenay fondateur du mouvement Combat, et sa compagne Bertie Albrecht, Danielle rejoint la Résistance. L’arrestation de Bertie Albrecht le 28 mai 1943 à Mâcon vaut d’ailleurs à la famille Gouze une descente de la Gestapo, Bertie Albrecht détenant sur elle une enveloppe à leur adresse.
C’est par l’entremise de sa sœur qu’elle rencontre François Mitterrand à Paris le 9 avril 1944. Plusieurs rencontres ont lieu à Paris ou à Cluny où “Morland” s’arrête les 18 et 28 mai 1944. L'intensité des liens noués aboutit à l'échange de promesses de mariage. A la même période Danielle rejoint le maquis local où elle se fait aide infirmière ou agent de liaison. Le 6 juin 1944, alors qu’elle passe les épreuves du baccalauréat à Lyon, Danielle est à son tour menacée par la découverte à Paris de photographies où elle est en compagnie de Morland activement recherché par la Gestapo. L’été 1944, été de tous les dangers, voit Danielle renouer avec le maquis où elle porte secours aux blessés dans Cluny et sa région. Elle retrouve François Mitterrand le 11 septembre à Dijon et leur mariage est célébré à Paris le 28 octobre 1944, en l’église Saint-Séverin. Mariage religieux consenti à la famille de François Mitterrand et dont les témoins sont Henri Frenay, Jean Munier, Patrice Pelat et sa sœur “Christine” Gouze.
Danielle Mitterrand découvre alors, tour à tour, l’engagement politique de son mari au sein du Mouvement national des prisonniers de guerre et déportés (MNPGD), la vie parisienne, la maternité avec la naissance de leur premier fils, décédé dans les premiers mois. Absorbé par son action politique, François Mitterrand refuse à Danielle de travailler à ses côtés comme sténotypiste alors qu'elle s'est inscrite aux cours privés d'enseignement professionnels Pigier. Elle se tourne alors vers la reliure d’art dans laquelle elle se perfectionne auprès de Henri Mercher pour atteindre une reconnaissance dont témoigne la vente de la bibliothèque personnelle de François Mitterrand qui comprend nombre d’ouvrages reliés par ses soins.
Cette séparation entre sphère publique et privée voulue par François Mitterrand a certainement plusieurs origines plus ou moins nobles. Danielle n'en épousera pas moins les combats, les causes et les inimitiés de son mari dans tous les épisodes de sa vie politique jusqu'à son accession à la magistrature suprême. Ce militantisme conjugal commence dès la campagne électorale de l'automne 1946 alors qu'elle est enceinte de huit mois et qu'elle accompagne François Mitterrand dans ses réunions dans le Morvan. François Mitterrand, à la tête d'une liste d'Unité et d'action républicaine, patronnée par Henri Queuille, est finalement élu député de la Nièvre le 10 novembre 1946.
La nomination de son mari au portefeuille des anciens combattants lui vaut de présider des jurys de dédommagement des victimes du dernier conflit, premier engagement auprès des opprimés de tous ordres, même si elle s'en est rapidement déchargée.
Le passage de son mari au ministère de la France d'Outre-Mer amène Danielle Mitterrand à découvrir l'Afrique et au détour d'une séance de pêche industrielle à la baleine d'être sensibilisée à la cause animale. Ces expériences successives constituent le terreau de ses engagements ultérieurs lorsqu'elle devient femme de chef d'État. Les différents ministères exercés par son mari la rompent à la brutalité du combat politique et aux coups bas qui ne manquent pas de pleuvoir dès le passage de François Mitterrand au ministère de l'Intérieur dans le gouvernement de Pierre Mendès France avec l'affaire dite des fuites en 1954, l'incendie de leur villa de vacances à Hossegor, l'affaire de l'Observatoire en 1959 qui marque un point de rupture dans sa vie , et enfin l'attentat perpétré par l'OAS contre le domicile familial, rue Guynemer en avril 1961.
Même si elle conteste les conditions de l'arrivée au pouvoir du général de Gaulle consécutive à la crise algérienne de mai 1958, Danielle Mitterrand ne participe pas à la manifestation du 28 mai 1958 trop absorbée par ses travaux de reliure. Cependant elle n'en reste pas moins une farouche opposante au pouvoir gaulliste et épouse les critiques des institutions telles qu'elles sont formulées par François Mitterrand dans le Coup d'État permanent.
L'année 1965 est marquée par l'acquisition au mois d'août de la maison familiale à laquelle Danielle Mitterrand aspire, dans une clairière de la forêt landaise au lieu-dit Latche et par son opposition à la candidature de son mari à la présidence de la République, finalement déclarée le 9 septembre. Militante, Danielle Mitterrand le demeure malgré les aléas de la vie politique de son mari, c'est ainsi qu'elle participe au congrès d'Épinay en juin 1971 et soutient l'union de la gauche.
A titre personnel, le début des années soixante-dix marque le déménagement du foyer de l'appartement de la rue Guynemer vers le 22 rue de Bièvre. Sa pensée politique demeure ancrée à gauche et elle use de ses grilles de lecture, ainsi à propos de l'irruption du thème de la sécurité dans le débat présidentiel de 1974, a-t-elle cette réflexion, « j'aurais voulu lui souffler que la sécurité est fille d'une politique sociale plus juste ».
C'est à la même époque, en 1974, lors d'un voyage après la campagne présidentielle, que Danielle Mitterrand est conquise par la révolution cubaine.
L'arrivée à la magistrature suprême de François Mitterrand le 10 mai 1981 ne la transforme pas en épouse convenue, le couple ayant acté de longue date, une liberté sentimentale réciproque. Désormais elle applique cette même liberté à ses propres engagements au risque de mettre en difficulté la diplomatie officielle de la France, que ce soit dans ses positions sur le régime marocain, ses interventions en faveur d'une visite officielle de Fidel Castro en France, ou son combat en faveur du peuple kurde.
La profusion du courrier qui parvient à son secrétariat particulier et qui comporte nombre de demandes d'intervention à caractère social, comme ses engagements, constants l'amènent à créer successivement trois associations :
du 21 juin dans le but d'aider ceux qui œuvrent pour le respect des libertés et des droits de l'homme (1982) ;
Cause commune afin de soutenir des initiatives locales en France en faveur des plus défavorisés (1983) ;
La France est avec vous, destinée à apporter toute forme d'aide matérielle et technique après des catastrophes (19 ?).
En mai 1986 Danielle Mitterrand crée France Libertés, fondation reconnue d'utilité publique, résultat de la fusion des associations du 21 juin, Cause commune et La France est avec vous et dans laquelle elle mène ses combats sans pour autant renoncer à des prises de parole politiques après le décès de François Mitterrand.
Elle s’éteint à Paris le 22 novembre 2011.
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